Lavender Tea

I absolutely love this. It starts off so soft and gentle- the lavender here is more "woody," like dried lavender rather than the fresh "green" variety. It is very clean, a tiny bit soapy, and almost aquatic. The beginning of this scent is very feminine- nurturing and cozy like flannel sheets right out of the dryer after a hot bath on a cold night. After about 90 minutes, the gentleness fades as the lavender gets colder and more masculine. Here is where I notice the tea the most, but it is like smelling a tea bag rather than sipping from a steaming mug- a bit bitter but more nuanced and interesting. Unfortunately, this fades really fast- I have the absolute and could not detect it at all after four hours. But if I had the money to apply this six times a day, and wear it 24/7, I would. It is gentle like the morning, fresh like the afternoon, and when it starts to gain its masculine qualities, it is sexy like the night (and there is always something sexy about androgyny anyway). I tested this alongside another unisex lavender: Tom Ford's Lavender Palm. While the CB was soft and gentle, TF was colder and more herbal. It was like being outside on a cloudy, rainy day, while CB was like cuddling in bed and listening to the rain on the roof. TF also reminded me of a restaurant kitchen smell (upscale- one that uses fresh ingredients). I love them both, but I think CB wins by a nose, despite its poor longevity.

This is just utterly gorgeous. My nose and my skin love this. I must have it in vats.

How can you go wrong with something called lavender tea? Oh, when it starts with a blast of lavender and then quickly changes into an Avon men's cologne from 1974. The kind that unattractive men splashed on with gusto and then unbuttoned their shirts to reveal their overly hairy chests. The kind that Avon sold in a big glass bottle shaped like a train.

Got a tiny 0.5ml decant to test it out recently. The scent opens up smoothly with lavender and tea blended nicely together. Stays pretty much the same from opening to dry down and it's a workhorse I'd say with above average projection and good longevity on my skin. I like this one!